Fillmore's Nugent commits to D-I St. Bonaventure

Monday

FILLMORE — Out of the three sports that he has played over the years, Fillmore senior Evan Nugent has particularly made his mark on the baseball diamond these past few seasons for the Eagles.

The Eagles standout excelled to the highest of all levels last spring, when he became Allegany County’s top pitcher with just over 100 strikeouts, including multiple 10-plus strikeout games in his tenures on the mound, garnering a team-high seven wins along the way.

Nugent has developed a deep passion for America’s pastime. The journey all began when he was little.

“It really started for me when I was four years old,” he told The Daily Reporter. “I started t-ball, and I used to love going outside and playing catch with my dad everyday. He’s really been a big part of me getting this far. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. The love I had for the game back then has continued to this day.”

For the longest time, he wanted to fulfill his dream of playing Division I baseball. On Thursday, that dream all of a sudden became a reality.

At Fillmore Central School, with his family alongside, Fillmore's star pitcher officially signed the dotted line in front of him, as he marks the beginning of a new chapter, exchanging his dark gray and green uniform for the brown and white uniform of St. Bonaventure beginning next fall.

“As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” said Nugent. “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was young to play Division I baseball, and St. Bonaventure was the perfect fit for me. I’m really excited to become a Bonnie.”

As for his current coach, longtime Fillmore skipper Bill Nolan can back up Nugent on his dream to play Division I baseball.

“I’m proud of Evan. I think it’s great,” he said of his ace. “He’s looking forward to it, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. I like the move for him, and it’s great for his family. It’s a place where it’s close to Fillmore, so they can go watch him play, I can go watch him play. He wanted it. He wanted to play Division I baseball all this time, and now he’s finally going to. He’s worked hard to earn this.

Nolan added, “He’s a great student, and he’s such a pleasure to have on your team. I don’t know what else you can say. I’m genuinely happy for him, this is an amazing opportunity for such a great kid.”

The St. Bonaventure baseball program has made noise throughout the past year in association with MLB. This past June, former Bonnies pitcher Aaron Phillips and shortstop Cole Peterson were selected in the draft, with Phillips going in the ninth round to the San Francisco Giants, and Peterson going four rounds later to the Detroit Tigers.

A few months later, another St. Bonaventure grad made his way into the major leagues, as third baseman Bubba Hollins signed a professional contract to join star slugger Giancarlo Stanton, and manager Don Mattingly with the Miami Marlins. The trio of athletes also joined forces in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL), helping the hometown Olean Oilers go back to back in 2015 and 2016 as league champions.

With that, it makes five total players currently in the major leagues that have graduated from St. Bonaventure. Looking at it, Nugent says he’s looking forward to the big opportunity presented to him.

“I watched all three guys play at Bonaventure, and they are all amazing players,” he said. “I’m looking forward to joining Coach (Larry) Sudbrook’s program. I know that he and the program have had quite a history of his players getting drafted to the big leagues.”

St. Bonaventure was thrilled to add Nugent to the fold.

“We’ve had a lot of success with local players from the Southern Tier of New York and the northern tier of Pennsylvania,” Sudbrook said. “We’ve recruited A-10 players who have been very good for us and drafted professionally. Evan has got the body and the arm action to continue to get better. He’s a mid 80s guy right now. We get guys in the weight room and by the time they’re juniors and seniors they’re in the upper 80s, lows 90s. They can pitch in the A-10 with success, and possibly beyond that. Evan fits that mold. He’s going to continue to get better.”

St. Bonaventure was not the only school on Nugent’s shortlist when it came to making his decision, but when he stepped foot on the campus, he knew where he wanted to be.

“I had other colleges that wanted me to come visit, but Bonas was the first college I visited, and I was blown away,” he said. “I knew as soon as I left, there was no doubt that it was the place I wanted to go. I never even got a chance to visit the other colleges.”

This past season for Fillmore, Nugent helped head an Eagles defense that locked down a quality Bolivar-Richburg team for Fillmore's first Allegany County Division I title in nearly 15 years, as well as their first Section V, Class D1 finals appearance since the 2013 season. The Eagles fell a game they fell short of bringing the gold back home, despite an 11-strikeout effort from Nugent in their 6-2 loss to eventual champion Lyndonville.

When 2018 comes, Nugent will be ready for his final season of Fillmore Eagles baseball.

“I love the sport of baseball. I watch every game I can, and I’m always studying the game to constantly improve,” he said. “I enjoy every minute that I’m on the field, especially when I’m up on the mound. I’m looking forward to college, but I’m definitely not looking past this spring. We have some unfinished business this year. Our goal is Sectionals, and we definitely have the team to get back to the finals and win it all.”

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